Visiting Amsterdam from the US

Netherlands is small... Do not be afraid to venture out of the city. I can highly recommend De Molen in Bodegraven. Kaapse in Rotterdam. Utrecht has some great beer destinations and can be a very fun town. Dont forget that realistically you are 2 hours from Antwerp

 

In de Wildeman is a great bar, too. Simon, the owner/bartender, is a great guy...

Best of luck!

Prosit!!

 

I second the recommendation of Brouwerij De Molen. In A'dam, be sure to hit Brouwerij t Ij and Brouwerij de Prael, the Beer Temple and any of the 4 Gollem locations. For an awesome meal hit cafe de Klos off Ledseplein. If you have to wait they own a great beer bar across the street. Zotte is a great hangout. Delirium opened a bar here several months back. To take away De Bierkonging is the best shoppe and sometimes the Beer Tree has some interesting stuff. It'll be a great trip for you!

 

My top two were Arendsnest and Beer Temple

 

I second this establishment. I went there for the first time this past October. Outstanding.

 

Forgot about this on my earlier post. Awesome Amsterdam is a great resource.
http://awesomeamsterdam.com/articles/5/best-specialty-belgian-beer-bars-in-amsterdam

 

Enjoy your trip! And, please post back here with trip highlights (and lowlights) as well as possibly some pix....

Prosit!!!

 

I agree with the idea of taking the train to Bodegraven and visiting de Molen, (de Molen is a quick 10 min walk in this small town). They have a nice bar and bottle shop, plus great food.

Before switching trains in Utrecht, walk out of the train station and visit Café Olivier (3 min walk outside the station on a small shopping street). The tavern is housed in a former church and has an absolutely beautiful interior!!

The train ride is short & quick enough that you can visit each of these places in an afternoon & be back in A-dam by evening beer hour at de Wildeman!! Enjoy your trip!

 

Yep, get a ticket at the A-Dam central station to Bodegraven, trains run pretty much every half hr., so just head to the station whenever you're ready to travel (I think the ticket was about 10-15 Euros w/ return). The train will stop in Utrecht Central station where you make the transfer to Bodegraven. There are trains running to Bodegraven every half hr., so you can go to Café Oliver & take your time & have a couple beers before heading to Bodegraven.

We Americans can get a little nervous about the train schedules in Europe, but don't sweat it, it's all very well marked & easy to navigate. And if you have any problems, just ask for help. The Dutch folks are very friendly & helpful!!

Also, I'm not sure if you have booked a hotel in A-Dam, if not, I would recommend the Avenue hotel www.avenue-hotel.nl
Very close to the central station (for carrying beer from De Molen bottle shop), right around the corner from de Wildeman tavern, & easy walking distance to both De Bierkonging (great bottle shop) and Arendsnest (all Dutch draft beer) . They also have a great breakfast included in room price, (rare for Amsterdam). Have a nice trip!!

 

ns.nl The site is also in English. phone app is reisplanner, which you can also change to english

 

in Utrecht, Make sure you check out De Drie Dorstige Herten and Cafe De Rat. If you are able to figure out the Trams, and Buses. I would recommend Brouwerij Maximus. And on the rare occasion that Brouwerij Rooie Dop is open, check them out.

In Amsterdam. Another place to check out that is VERY closet to Wildeman (5-10minute max walk) is called Hoppy Days. They have a pretty good menu with decent to great food. Plus they have some great beers on tap and in bottle.

 

Does Cafe Belgique still exist?

 

This was one of my favorite bars in Amsterdam
http://www.yelp.com/biz/het-elfde-gebod-amsterdam

 

Yes.

 

Nieuwe Diep is dead cool. Love their jenevers.

 

No beer there right?

 

Try the Herring stands, lol (Haring) what area are you staying in, its really best to ask the locals on Indonesian food.
Restaurants come and go.
http://eatyourworld.com/destinations/europe/the_netherlands/amsterdam/what_to_eat/rijsttafel
http://www.eatingeuropetours.com/amsterdam/best-indonesian-restaurants/
http://www.amsterdamfoodie.nl/recommendations/indonesian/
etc
from google
I found it best to befriend a few locals.
YMMV